Prove It!

Can following along with the World of Art Instructional DVDs really help when trying your hand at painting? On this episode of Prove It!, Mikey G sets out to test his own skills at recreating a Tom Jones watercolor painting. He'll begin by using nothing but the required supplies and a photograph of the completed painting, and then try a second time while following along with the video. Which turns out better? Watch until the end, and you be the judge!

Please enjoy this Prove It! video and let us know what you think in the comments below!

What do you think? Did following along with the World of Art DVD really improve Mikey's painting techniques? How about you; have you tried any art instructional DVDs for learning art at home? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Give Mom the gift of art this Mother's Day!

Mother's Day is almost here! This Sunday, May 13th, is the day to show mom just how much you care and how grateful you are for all she does. And there's still time to get creative with your gift-giving this Mother's Day!

Is Mom's greatest love — after you, of course — art and creativity? Why not shop JerrysArtarama.com for the perfect gift! Whether mom prefers painting or pastels, drawing or printmaking, you're sure to find the ideal gift amongst our thousands of discount art supplies. We've even put together a handy Art Supplies Shopping Guide that makes it easy to find the best art gift ideas, whether you're searching by medium or by price.

We're also happy to offer our newest category: Art Sets! Here you'll find great sets of oil paints, soft pastels, watercolors, colored pencils, easels, paintbrushes and more — many also including accessories and other gear to create a complete art media set up. Is mom looking to start a new art medium? One of these great art sets could make the ideal introduction — and earn you some major brownie points!

Some great Mother's Day gift ideas:

Charvin oil painting sets

Cretacolor Drawing Sets

SoHo Urban Artist Colored Pencils

Dryden Art and Canvas Keepers

Turner Artists' Watercolors

...and so much more!

If you're still completely stumped on what to get mom for Mother's Day, never fear: Gift Cards are the ever-popular, one-size-fits-all option! Let Mom pick her favorite art supplies for herself, and rest assured that she'll be pleased with her gift. In need of a last-minute present? Jerry's has eGift Cards that can be personalized and sent directly to Mom's email — since they arrive in just minutes, there's no excuse for missing Mother's Day!

So what fabulous art gifts are you getting your mom this Mother's Day? Are you a mother yourself, and if so, what would you want?Let us know in the comments below!

Ampersand panels have been around since 1994, gaining popularity with artists over the years as a trusted archival surface for their art.

Since Ampersand began, the company's mission has been to create the best painting surfaces on the market and to share its panel expertise with the artist community. Since each panel from Ampersand has unique characteristics and uses, we'll go through them one by one so you can see the differences and understand what mediums work best with each.

The Museum Series panels from Ampersand are all fully made in the USAfrom US-grown renewable wood sources and sealed with Archiva-Seal™ barrier technology to protect against support-induced discoloration. In addition, all of the grounds used on the panels are archival, pH neutral and non-yellowing, so your work will be around for years to come. Only Ampersand uses top quality birch plywood for the cradled profiles that can be painted, stained or waxed for a frame-free presentation. The panels are available in a wide variety of sizes and profiles; one will certainly suit your artistic preference!

Besides all the known advantages of painting on wood panels, Ampersand panels are easy to frame and hang just like any stretched canvas or paper substrate. What make Ampersand panels distinctly different are their extraordinary painting surfaces unavailable from any other source.

The rigid support is durable enough for heavy layering or palette knife work without paint cracking, peeling or support-induced discoloration. The acrylic gesso finish has a titanium white ground designed to enhance your paint colors. Gessobord is available in 1/8" flat, 3/4" cradle, new 1.5" cradle and 2" deep cradle.

AmpersandPastelbord is the only pastel surface ideally suited for working wet or drywhen layering pastels. The boards are coated with a clay and gesso ground with a granular marble finish, available in Sand, Grey, Green and White colors. Pastelbord also makes a unique surface for acrylics, as the paint stays wet longer than on a gesso ground and the colored tones create a ready-made under-painting surface. With colored pencil, you can endlessly apply layer after layer to get high definition detail. Available in a 1/8" flat profile.

Ampersand Aquabord (or Claybord Textured) is comparable to cold press watercolor paper in absorbency and texture, but colors come out richer and more vibrant. The surface is naturally more forgiving than paper as it can be reworked and re-wetted, allowing for the lifting of color even when dry. Available in 1/8" flat and 2" deep cradle profiles. Learn some helpful tips on using Aquabord here.

Ampersand Encausticbord has a specific ground formulated for the distinctive traits of encaustic, highly porous and more textured than traditional acrylic gesso. It is heat resistant and holds well to encaustic wax without cracking and is compatible not only with mixed media and image transfer, but also oils and water miscible paints. Available in 1/8" and ¼" flat profiles, 7/8" traditional, 1.5" gallery and 2" deep cradled profiles.

The Natural Wood Panels are new members to the Ampersand line, ideal for those interested in using their own priming and sealing methods. The plywood surface is sanded perfectly smooth so you won't experience fiber raising or excessive wood grain when applying gesso. The panels are tested for durability and warp-resistance, and accept all types of painting grounds. They are great for encaustic, collage, mixed media, heavy paint and palette knife work or to mount canvas, paper, photos and prints. All unprimed wood panels should be sealed first with Golden® GAC100 before applying the painting grounds or mounting prints. Encaustic acts as its own wood sealer, therefore the wood does not require priming beforehand. Available in 7/8" traditional and 1.5" profiles. Instructions for sealing and priming wood panels can be found here.

Ampersand's Value Series Artist Panels in both Smooth and Canvas versions are ideal for those who want all the benefits of painting on panel without a big price tag. The panels are ready to paint and feature an acrylic gesso finish, either sanded perfectly smooth or with a raised fabric texture for the sense of painting on canvas. The panels work well for oils, acrylics and mixed media with both fine and heavy paint applications and also palette knife work. The canvas texture version is available in 3/8" flat panel with hanging slots, 3/4" traditional cradle profile and 1.5" gallery profile. Smooth texture is available in 1/8" flat profile.

For more information on Ampersand panels, as well as projects and technical articles, refer to Ampersand's blog and website.

Have you used Ampersand panels? What are your thoughts and comments. Please let us know below in the comments!